Prince Harry Says Newspaper Lawsuits Contributed to Royal Family Rift

Prince Harry Joshua Sammer/Getty Images

is revealing more details about his strained relationship with the U.K. royal family.

Speaking in the new ITV documentary Tabloids On Trial, which is set to air Thursday, July 25, Harry, 39, said his legal battle against U.K. tabloids he has accused of phone hacking and other illicit methods of information-gathering was “a central piece” to his deteriorated relationship with his family.

In December 2023, a judge ruled that Mirror Group Newspapers intercepted Harry’s voicemails between 2006 and 2011 to obtain stories published in its various newspapers. He was awarded £140,600 in damages at the time and later settled the rest of his case with MGN for what the publisher called a “substantial additional sum.” (Harry also has cases pending against News Group Newspapers, which publishes The Sun, and Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail, accusing them of using unlawful methods to procure stories. Both publishers have denied wrongdoing.)

In Thursday’s documentary, Harry was asked whether his public pursuit of the tabloid industry affected his relationship with the royal family.

Related: Prince Harry's Ups and Dows With the Royal Family Over the YearsPrince Harry‘s relationship with his relatives is complex and complicated. Harry is the youngest son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. As children, he and his older brother, Prince William, seemed inseparable, but as they got older, cracks began to form in their relationship. “There’s always been a part of Harry that […]

“Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it,” the Duke of Sussex responded, per Sky News. “But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”

“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done,” he added. “It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family. I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good. But, you know, I’m doing this for my reasons.”

Prince William Samir Hussein/WireImage

In April 2023, Harry’s lawyers claimed his brother, , privately settled a phone hacking claim against News Group Newspapers for a “very large sum.”

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Pressed about his family not taking a stand against the tabloid industry in the same way he has, Harry responded: “I think everything that’s played out has shown people what the truth of the matter is. For me, the mission continues, but it has, it has, yes. It’s caused, yeah, as you say, part of a rift.”

Related: Prince Harry’s Military Career: From Enlistment to Invictus GamesPrince Harry has remained dedicated to the military following his retirement from the British Royal Army in 2015. The Duke of Sussex is one of many members of the British royal family to serve their country throughout history. Harry was part of the armed forces for 10 years with his service beginning in 2005. One […]

Harry and his wife, , moved from the U.K. to the U.S. in 2020 after stepping back from their roles as working royals. The couple, who share two children, have returned to the U.K. on occasion since their exit, but tensions have been high between them and other senior royals, including William, 42, and .

Tabloids On Trial airs in the U.K. on ITV1 and ITVX Thursday, July 25, at 9 p.m. BST.

In this articlePrince Harry

Prince Harry Says Newspaper Lawsuits Contributed to Royal Family Rift

Prince Harry Says Newspaper Lawsuits Contributed to Royal Family Rift

Prince Harry Says Newspaper Lawsuits Contributed to Royal Family Rift

Prince Harry Says Newspaper Lawsuits Contributed to Royal Family Rift

Prince Harry Says Newspaper Lawsuits Contributed to Royal Family Rift